Hiya! I'm so sorry that there hasn't been an update for so long, but I've been really really busy with school.

Please R&R!

xxxx

Hermione hurried down to the dungeons, not wanting to be late. She knocked on the door just on time and entered Snape's office.

"Miss Granger," Snape acknowledged her without looking up from his paperwork. "Have a seat," he muttered.

"Good evening, Sir," she replied silently and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"Hand me your arm," he ordered.

Hermione offered her arm reluctantly and he pulled up her sleeve. He brought a tiny vial next to her arm.

"This might hurt a little," Snape said expressionlessly. He whispered some kind of spell and a moment later, the vial was full of blood. There was only a tiny cut on Hermione's arm. He gently cleaned it with a small pad and then said a healing spell, leaving her arm looking just like five minutes ago.

Hermione was astonished at how gentle he had been with his arm, but showed no reaction.

Snape put the now closed vial on his desk and turned to look at her.

"Your task for tonight is to scrub couldrons, without using any magic. The cauldrons are in my classroom. Let me know when you are done," he informed her and returned to his paperwork.

"Yes, Sir," Hermione replied tiredly.

Snape sighed when he heard the door slam shut. He could not help but feel a tiny bit of compassion for the Gryffindor. It was obvious how happy she had been when she realised that she was going to be Head girl. However, he also felt that she had set up her own trap. Hence she pretty much deserved what she got.

He sighed loudly once again and returned to marking papers. It really was rather boring.

-----

About an hour later Hermione knocked on her professor's door. He asked her to enter the room and she declared that she was finished.

"Very well then, I shall inspect the cauldrons later," Snape said carelessly. It was apparent that he was very bored indeed. "Do not believe that you are finished now. You are to write an essay, on the subject of your drinking. You have one hour, Miss Granger. There are quills and parchments in my classroom,".

"Yes, Sir,". Hermione had to put a lot of effort into surpressing her sigh.

-----

Exactly one hour later, Hermione returned from the classroom. She handed the essay to her professor and looked at him anxiously.

"Miss Granger," Snape said and eyed her essay.

"Sir, may I ask you a question?," she asked nervously.

"You already did," he replied curtly.

"Well, yesterday you said that I wouldn't have detentions on Sundays. If I'm not mistaken, it's Sunday today, professor," she explained.

"It is Sunday today. However, I felt that we had to start the detentions as soon as possible. Rest assured that you will be free next Sunday. That will be all for today, Miss Granger," he said and returned to reading her essay before she had even left the room.

-----

"Hermione!," Ron exclaimed the second she entered the Gryffindor common room. His loud voice made everyone turn their heads to look at her.

Hermione made her way over to Ron and Harry, who were playing Wizard's Chess. When she sat down next to them and began to talk in a hushed voice everyone went back to what they were doing before she came.

"Where've you been the last two hours?," Harry asked curiously.

"I've been studying in the library," she was suprised at how easily the lie slipped of her tongue. Hermione was not very familiar with lying, after all.

"Don't try that, we've been there to look for you," Ron said suspiciously. "So, where've you really been? You can tell us everything, you know." He tried to sound comforting but failed completely.

"I...well. Umm, there's something I've got to tell you. You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?," she said and ran a hand through her hair nervously.

The two boys looked at her in a mixture of curiosity and compassion. They nodded.

"Uh...ok. IwentouttoHogsmeadelastnightandnowI'vegotdetentionfortherestoftheyear," she blurted out.

"Did you hear, Harry? Would you mind saying it again?," Ron asked sheepishly.

"I said I went out to Hogsmeade last night and now I've got detention for the rest of the year".

"'Mione!," Harry exclaimed and once again everyone in the room stared at her.

"Keep your voice down, please," Hermione begged him.

"Why? We would've wanted to go as well. You know we've been talking about sneaking out to Hogsmeade for ages, why didn't you tell us you were going?," Ron sounded disappointed.

Harry just looked at her weirdly.

"I...I don't know. And I totally regret it. You're lucky you didn't go. I'll be serving detention six days a week."

"That's why you're not Head girl anymore, isn't it?," Harry asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Umm yes," she admitted.

"I can't believe you lied to us!," Ron muttered.

"I'm sorry, okay? I was embarrassed".

"Friends don't lie to eachother," Harry said and looked down.

"Why can't you guys respect my private life? Do I really have to tell you every single thing that goes on in my life?," she snapped and rose.

"That's a rahter important thing and you know it," Harry stated.

"Well, now you know!," Hermione mumbled and ran up to her room. She knew she was being unfair, it was just that she could not cope with telling them all about it. Her life was just so completely different to the life they thought she lived. They would probably hate her if she told them about her real self.

Sleep did not come easily to Hermione that night, even though she was completely exhausted. Harry and Ron kept haunting her in her thoughts and she felt really bad about not telling them. After some hard thinking she decided that she was going to apologize first thing in the morning.

-----

Monday morning came quickly and Hermione found herself in the common room, waiting for Harry and Ron to get up. When they hadn't shown up after 20 minutes she decided that they had probably overslept so she went to check their room. The dormitory was empty except for a very sleepy Seamus Finnegan.

Hermione found the boys in the dining hall, having breakfast as if nothing had happened. She sat down at her usual spot and tried to act as normal as possible, even though it was evident that they were avoiding her.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Friends?," Hermione finally said, despondently.

"Glad you realised," Ron muttered.

Harry looked up for the first time that morning and smiled at her.

"Apology accepted," he mumbled with his mouth full of food.

"Fine," Ron agreed. "Just promise to let us know the next time you're going out, okay?,".

"I promise," Hermione smiled happily. She felt very relieved as she hated to argue with her two best friends.

Suddenly the headmaster rose and everyone went quiet.

"Good morning! Firstly, I'm glad to see that all of our new students are settling in so well. Secondly, there is an announcement that I'm going to make. The staff has decided that we will have a ball on Saturday evening, for everyone in year three and upwards".

All the students in year one and two sighed heavily.

"I know you all want to go but I feel this is for the best. The ball is compulsory for all students in year three and upwards, as there will be another activity for the younger years going on in the castle. Your heads of houses will let you know all about it tonight. Have a nice day!," Dumbledore said and sat down again.

As usual when the headmaster had made an announcement, everyone began chattering loudly.

"That's awesome," Ron said cheerfully.

"Yeah, and we won't even have to find dates!," Dean Thomas joined in.

Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly worried at the thought of a ball. A ball meant that there would be alcohol, as students always spiked the drinks. She knew that she would never be able to keep herself from drinking if she attended the ball. However she had no choice, as it was compulsory.

Don't forget to click that sexy blue button.